4 ms·

The ag/biotech space is fascinating. There are several varieties of insect-resistance traits, multiple brands of herbicide resistance (off the top of my head t

by n8cpdx 5y ago

The ag/biotech space is fascinating. There are several varieties of insect-resistance traits, multiple brands of herbicide resistance (off the top of my head there’s Roundup Ready and Liberty Link), drought resistance, and several more. I was last deeply interested around 2008 so my knowledge is stale. I found this USDA data sheet that lists a bunch of varieties for corn; others exist for the other GMO crops: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/BECornCropSummary.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/BECornCro... Watching the path-dependent nature of technology is fascinating. It seems Monsanto has largely given up on GMOs, due to public backlash, just as crispr and the like are set to make the whole endeavor a lot more precise. https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/01/monsanto-gmo-technology-genetically-modified-organisms/ https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/01/monsanto-gmo-techno... The hot new thing these days (as I understand it, I am not a farmer) is precision ag - better use of maps, sensors, drones, robotics, etc to make better use of resources and better target chemical application. Bayer’s marketing site is probably a good place to get the farmer’s perspective: https://www.cropscience.bayer.com/innovations/data-science/digital-farming https://www.cropscience.bayer.com/innovations/data-science/d...

JamisonM 5y ago
I don't think "Monsanto" has given up on GMOs, now they are Bayer and they sell a lot of GMO products. The article linked does highlight a very important point without really enlightening readers about the history, GMOs were never about higher yields. Higher yields have always come from conventional plant breeding. The common misconception is that plant genomes are simple and we can manipulate them at will but the truth is that plant genomes are way, way more complex than animal genomes and we mostly have no idea how plants work. GMO's are about specific pathways that we can understand that dictate the reactions is specific conditions, very narrow manipulations of a plant's metabolism, that we mostly discovered by accident. The incredibly complex genomes of plants coupled with the incredible variety of plants out there to cultivate means that it will take a giant leap of technology geared towards understanding plant genomes that will in turn allow the effective application of technologies like CRISPR for manipulating plant genomes.. and that is decades away at best. I hope to live to see it!!

by n8cpdx 5y ago

JamisonM 5y ago

I don't think "Monsanto" has given up on GMOs, now they are Bayer and they sell a lot of GMO products. The article linked does highlight a very important point without really enlightening readers about the history, GMOs were never about higher yields. Higher yields have always come from conventional plant breeding. The common misconception is that plant genomes are simple and we can manipulate them at will but the truth is that plant genomes are way, way more complex than animal genomes and we mostly have no idea how plants work. GMO's are about specific pathways that we can understand that dictate the reactions is specific conditions, very narrow manipulations of a plant's metabolism, that we mostly discovered by accident. The incredibly complex genomes of plants coupled with the incredible variety of plants out there to cultivate means that it will take a giant leap of technology geared towards understanding plant genomes that will in turn allow the effective application of technologies like CRISPR for manipulating plant genomes.. and that is decades away at best. I hope to live to see it!!